LONGMONT -- About 50 concerned parents of Longmont High School students showed up at Longs Peak Middle School on Thursday night for an update on the tuberculosis situation at the high school.

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Questions about who is being tested and why, what the difference is between "latent" and "active" tuberculosis, and even whether all 1,200 Longmont High students should be tested were some of the questions fielded by Dr. Randall Reves, medical director of the Denver Health Department's Tuberculosis Control Program.

"We did find more positive tests than we expected to see" in the first batch of testing, Reves told the audience.

The first round of testing was done on 13 students who attended at least two classes with an unidentified student who has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis. When that diagnosis was announced Jan. 16, the Denver Public Health Department was brought in because of its resources and experience with the illness.

The original 13 students -- and the infected student's teachers -- produced more positive results than Reves expected, so it was decided that a second round of testing would be done, this time, to include students who had even one class with the infected student. That means testing another 140 students.

"If we find a high rate in this (expanded) group, then we're going to expand this out to a higher number of students," Reves said.

So far, only the originally diagnosed student has been found to have active TB, which is contagious. All the other students who tested positive have latent TB, which is not contagious. All of the students tested, in the first round and the second round of 140, will be tested again in mid-February, Reves said.

Those who do test positive for latent TB will be put on medication, a regimen that involves daily doses that last either four or nine months, depending on the treatment.

That medication will stop 95 percent to 98 percent of TB, Reves said, Without treatment, there's a 5 percent chance that someone testing positive for latent tuberculosis will develop the active strain within two years. The chances of the strain becoming active diminish with time.

One parent asked why health officials don't just go ahead and test the entire student and teacher population. Reves said that early in his career, in the 1970s, he actually worked on a situation like that, where an entire high school had to be tested. But in the Longmont High situation, he said, there is no indication -- yet -- that was warranted.

Testing everyone inevitably leads to a lot of false positives, which can actually hinder making sure everyone who needs treatment gets it. It also saves a lot of taxpayer money to start with a more controlled group, Reves said. Each blood test is about $45 apiece.

"Do we really need to test the whole school? We really hope that's not the case," Reves said. But he quickly added that if it's necessary the health department is prepared to do just that.

The second round of testing students starts Friday and Reves said he hopes to have results by the end of next week.

"If there's a negative result we'll send you a letter," said Carolyn Bargman, a registered nurse with Boulder County Public Health. "If there's a positive test, we'll call you."

However, even if the blood test comes back positive there's still more testing to be done -- starting with a chest X-ray -- to determine whether any form of TB is present.

Another question asked a couple of times was whether parents should be concerned that their child walked the same hallways and ate in the same cafeteria as the infected student. Reves said that natural dilution in the air -- active TB is spread through the air -- substantially lowers the possibility of contagion, which is why the testing is focused on people who spent many hours in a small room with the infected student.

Reves said that parents who are concerned can check with their own doctors, especially if their child is taking some form of other medication. Their own doctor also can recommend whether they feel a test is warranted or not.

Perry Green, father of two boys who attend Longmont High, asked Reves if TB is something his kids might have been immunized for growing up. The TB vaccine hasn't been a part of normal childhood immunizations in this country in about 40 years, Reves said.

Green said after the meeting he was glad he came and that he felt reassured.

"I thought he was very thorough and very complete," he said of Reves.

"I'm very satisfied," added Patti Nelson, whose son is a sophomore at Longmont High. "I feel like I learned a lot, and I got a lot of questions answered."

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